Revenge is the Sweetest
by queenofthe7kingdoms
Summary: War. I wished it didn't happen, but in this world, filled with these people, war was and still is inevitable. I didn't expect what happened to happen at all, and it left me in broken pieces. But broken pieces can be put together with the right people and the right revenge. My name is Arya Stark, and this is my story.
1. Prologue

**Okay so I had this idea grow in my mind for a while. I told myself I wouldn't start a new fic until I finish my other two but here I am. Someone told me on I'll Put My Faith In Something Unknown that I should write another story like it, so that thought inspired me to do this. This story is mainly focused on Arya, but there will be chapters that focus on Gendry too. **

**The first ch is a prequel basically. It'll set everything up, kinda. It is set in Westeros. You'll see things happen in this story that have happened in the tv show, but mostly it'll be what I made up. **

**I don't know how to describe what this story will be about, but Arya will take revenge on the people who do her family wrong, basically. I want this to be longer than IPMFISU, so it will be a slow build. I'll only continue the story if people are interested in it. **

**Okay, I hope you like this story, it is different than my other ones. **

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"Keep your shield up Jon!"

"I don't like using shields, Robb."

"You don't have to like them!"

"I don't like you right now!"

"You don't have to like me either!"

"I don't like both of you," the Maester standing next to Ned Stark said to the two boys. Ned cracked one of his rare smiles.

Robb stopped to laugh when he heard that remark, and Jon took the opportunity to tackle him to the ground.

"I didn't use my shield!" Jon said, laughing as he watched Robb huff as he stood to his feet.

"Father!" Robb said.

Ned managed a smile across his lips. "Jon won that round fair and square."

"Ha!" Jon said.

"Oh shut up," Robb said.

"Both of you, go get cleaned up," Ned said. "Or your mother will have another fit at the dinner table."

"Their mother will have another what?" A dainty voice said behind Ned.

Robb and Jon started laughing when Ned turned around to see a mad Catelyn standing there, both hands supporting her very pregnant stomach.

Ned smiled when he saw her. A few seconds passed and she finally cracked a smile of her own. He was about to say something when the sound of drums sounded off in the near distance.

"Lord Stark," one of the Northerner men addressed Ned, walking towards when he stood with Catelyn.

"Is it the Goldcloaks of the King?"

"Milord, it is the King himself."

"Open the gates," Ned ordered. The Northerner bowed his head and left to give the command.

Ned look at Catelyn and saw she had a worried expression on her face.

"What does he want? We have secured the North correctly haven't we?"

"Catelyn-"

"_Haven't we?_" Catelyn's voice strained.

Ned nodded.

"What does that _vile _man want?" Catelyn whispered.

"Shhh," Ned gently shushed her. He then sighed. "We will find out."

X

Ned stood proudly beside Catelyn with the townspeople behind them in order. Beside Catelyn stood Robb, then Jon, then Sansa.

Ned watched the Gold Cloaks enter the gates first, followed by the royal carriage. When the carriage stopped, Robert Baratheon emerged from it.

"Stark," he said, walking towards Ned.

"My King," Ned said, bowing his head.

"My King," Catelyn said, bowing her head. As soon as she did so, the Stark Children mimicked her.

"My Lady," Robert said.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, my King?" Ned asked, trying to get to the point of Robert's visit.

"Let us speak in private."

X

Ned poured mead into a glass for Robert.

"I can see you still are taking care of your bastard," the king said. Ned followed Robert's gaze to where Jon sat with Robb and Sansa. It was hard to miss his dark, blacker than night hair.

"Yes," Ned said, turning back to Robert.

"I'm sure Catelyn still doesn't like that idea." Ned noticed that Robert's voice softened at the mention of Catelyn's name, and it made him resent the king's visit even more.

"She grew use to his presence," was all Ned said.

"I will cut right to the point, Stark." Robert's voice grew more stern, and Ned nodded. "Our lands were nearly breached once more. Some of my men died defending King's Landing." He trailed off.

"As happens during most raids or attacks," Ned said.

The king continued as if Ned had never said a word, "The weapons that were used to kill my men were made by Dothraki."

"And..."

"We have not had an attack by those beasts since almost a hundred years ago. And since then, not a man from here has ever made contact with their kind. Not since, you, Stark. Two weeks ago, you went to their lands. You come back, and we get ambushed."

"That is just a coincidence, my king. I can assure you that. I wish no harm come to you kingdom," Ned said.  
"What were you doing there to begin with?"

"I was there on businessto the docks. To reassure the trades were coming in. There was an issue last time with the travel."

Robert squinted his eyes and leaned forward. He said, "Mark my words, Stark. If you are found to be lying...Winterfell will fall to ruin. The Starks will be no more. You're only allowed to live to keep control of the North, after all. Trust me, I have many people trying to figure you out."

Ned nodded his head.

"You wouldn't want harm to befall your family now, will you? After all, Catelyn _is _with child. What is it, again?"

"A girl. Or so the Septa believes."

"Then you _will _come to me if you have any news at all about the Dothraki invasion, yes?"

"Yes, my king."

"Then my business with you is done here."

X

"I bid you a safe travel, my king," Ned said to Robert before he entered his carriage once more.

After watching the Gold Cloaks leave along with the carriage, Catelyn whispered, "Are we alright?"

"We are alright," Ned assured her. "Robb, Jon, Sansa, You, and I are alright."

"And the baby?"

"The baby is going to be fine too," Ned gently touched Catelyn's stomach. "Arya."

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**I own nothing except whatever story line comes out of my mind. **


	2. untamed like the wolf

**I hope you guys like this chapter. It's the first official one of the story. **

**I did change the ages too. I needed to. **

**I won nothing except what idea come to my mind.**

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I am 15 years old when my father announces to me that he wishes for me to marry Tommen Baratheon to assure security between our houses. That does not make any sense to me because Sansa is supposed to marry Joffrey Baratheon to assure the security between our houses. I think my father hides something from me; some unknown truth he doesn't want surfaced. I won't ask him about it though.

Either way I don't want to marry Tommen Baratheon. When I told my father that, he said the marriage wouldn't take place until I was of age, as if that would change my mind. Tommen is two years older than I am. I don't want to marry him for the simple fact that, one I don't like the Baratheon House, and two, I don't want to be married period. I don't want to be stuck at home. I don't want to have children of my own, and take care of them, even though mother told me I wouldn't have to take care of them. She said I could hire a Septa to do it, but that thought just makes me revolt the idea of marriage more. It is not Tommen's fault I don't want to marry him; I have heard nothing but kind words from the ladies of the court when it comes to the Prince. I decided long ago that marriage life wasn't for me. I want to be free, not in a cage. But things in my life don't go the way I want them to. Jonis at the Wall, and Robb is doing what he normally does with his own friends and I am usually left alone.I can't control the events that happen, no matter how hard I try.

After a day of uneventful sewing filled with fits and scolding, Jeyne Poole tells me, "You are a very unruly child. Maybe marriage to the Prince will tame you." Her words don't sway me. I don't want to be tamed, though. I am a wolf of Winterfell.

Speaking of wolves, mine is just as untamed as I am. Her name is Nymeria and she is mine as I am hers. Sansa ends up yelling at her many times when she tracks mud in our home. I always yell at Sansa to not yell at my wolf and then a shouting match would brew between us both until I start pulling her hair and she cries and our mother scolds me yet again.

After a day of chasing and being chased by Nymeria, I wash myself in the bath when my mother walks in on me. I feel uncomfortable when she does that.

"You and your sister will travel to King's Landing at the end of the week with your father to meet the Princes and I expect you to be on your best behavior, young _lady_." Mother strains the words lady as if she is reminding me I am a girl and I am expected to be a lady.

I ignore her last words and ask, "Father is going too?"

Mother nods and says, "He will be the King's Hand."

My mouth drops open and I am confused. Father dislikes the King, why would he be Robert's Hand?

"Do not question about it Arya," mother says as if she knew what I was going to say. "It is adult business."

After mother leaves me, a few thoughts cross my mind that involve drowning myself in the bathwater.


	3. arrival

**I hope you guys like this chapter **

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On the morning of our departure for King's Landing, I lay in bed and frown heavily at the ceiling, contemplating all the ways I can change my mother's mind at the last minute over forcing me to go. I could run away but there's no place I could go where my father's men wouldn't find me. I could play an extreme child's game where I hide all day and people wouldn't find me, but they would eventually and my mother would scold me again. My thoughts are interrupted by my sister walking into my room. I groan and am thinking about how I can lock my door from the inside and keep out those who want to barge in on me whenever they want.

"Aren't you going to get ready?" Sansa asks me while she stands beside my side of the bed.

I turn towards her and continue to frown, hoping she gets the hint. She doesn't. "I'm not going," I say. I take the time to fully see Sansa's state. She wears her nightgown, and her hair is only pulled back in a loose braid.

"Mother's going to be upset towards you," Sansa says.

"Tell me about a time when she isn't," I say in a deadpan voice.

"When you're acting like a lady," Sansa innocently twirls the end of her braid in her fingers. I know she wants to say something else, but when she notices my expression, she says quiet. Good choice.

"Get out of my room," I tell her.

"Mother wanted me to tell you we will leave in an hour."

"So you told me. Thank you. Goodbye." I bury my head in my massive pile of pillows and snuggle into my warm bed sheet, hoping she will take that hint. She doesn't yet again.

"You can't sleep your way through this, Arya."

"The door is that way," my voice comes out as a mumble due to the pillows as I point towards the door.

Sansa sighs and when I peak from beneath a pillow, I swear I see her shake her head as she leaves my room quietly. Some small part of me feels elated to be leaving this cold, wintry ice land for a few months. The rest of me tells that small part to shut up.

I put off preparing myself for the journey for about twenty minutes until the Septa comes in my room.

"Miss Arya! What are you still doing in bed?" She says.

"Mentally preparing myself for what will be the end," I say.

The Septa walks towards my side of the bed and flings my blanket off of me and I flinch when the cold air touches my warm body.

"Don't be so dramatic miss Arya, you're fifteen years old. Now get out of bed or your mother will have her usual fit."

I sigh. "There's no way of avoiding this, is there?"

"None whatsoever."

X

I stay seated at the dinner table for as long as I can and I eat my food as slowly as possible this morning.

"Are you prepared for our departure, Arya?" Father asks when he walks through the door and appraises the sight of me with my elbow on the table and my chin resting on my palm.

"Why must I go anyhow? If this wedding-" I don't say the word without making a face that likens to the face someone makes when they eat a lemon wedge- "won't happen for at least three years?"

"It's mandatory my sweet daughter."

That doesn't make sense to me.

"You will like King's Landing. There's many things to do there, including sword masters who can teach anyone anything-"

My interest is peaked immediately as I interrupt father. "Can I get sword lessons?"

"There are masters who may be able to teach the youngest daughter of the Hand of the King," father says. "But you must come along in order to learn anything, Arya."

I eat the rest of my breakfast in somewhat of a rush after that.

X

I hate the travel to King's Landing almost as much as I hate the idea of marriage to a Prince. We are forced to ride in a carriage, and said carriage moves at such a slow pace, I am certain I can feel myself age as I sit on the hard seat in the heat. When I bring up the fact that we can travel at a much faster rate if we are all on horseback, father only chuckles and smiles and Sansa rolls her eyes openly and mumbles something that sounds like _idiot _under her breath.

Father hears it and says, "Sansa," in a soft but warning tone and I grin towards her when she looks more mad because she was heard. In the end, we don't switch to horseback. Well at least I tried.

Other than the occasional bickering and the water stops, the travel is quiet and when nightfall starts to come, Sansa asks father about stopping until morning.

He replies with, "We are continuing through the night."

I don't know how long I sleep for, but I am awaken by a jostle of the carriage. Dawn is approaching outside, and I can hear the gentle chirps of the crickets outside.

"We are close," father tells me. I look over at Sansa and she is still asleep.

"Why are you awake?" I ask him.

"The jostle woke me up, same as you," he says, and we are quiet because I fall back to sleep.

I am woken up again by a larger jostle than the first, and almost hit my head against the carriage wall.

"We're here!" Sansa exclaims with the most animation I've heard in her voice. I notice father isn't int he carriage as well. I wonder where he went.

"Oh yay," I say sarcastically. I look out the window and see we're in meadow. "Wow it looks like King's Landing went under reconstruction since the last time any Stark has been there," I comment sarcastically.

"Well we're not actually _there _there but it's only a few more miles! We're stopping to get ready." Sansa says.

"Can I just go like this?" I ask her.

"No!" Sansa says. "Your dress is wrinkly and you smell and" -she sighs- "don't let me start about the state of your hair. Prince Tommen will not be happy with this appearance!"

"That's my aim!"

"Honestly Arya. When will you learn to-"

Just as Sansa is about to continue talking, father opens the carriage door. "Alright girls, you can come outside," he says.

"Oh look at that!" I say quickly and run out of the carriage, dodging Sansa's next words.

X

When it's time to continue on, I freeze before entering the carriage once more.

"Let's go Arya!" Sansa says as she walks up behind me. "Our futures await!"

"I'm not ready," I say. My voice comes out as a whisper.

I hear Sansa sigh behind me and she walks around me to take my hand and pull me along towards the carriage. "Aren't we wolves of Winterfell?" She asks me. "Wolves can do anything!"

Sometimes I forget Sansa is a Stark too. She acts like a Tully, like our mother, most of the time. Out of all my siblings, Sansa is most like mother. She even shares her appearances. "I miss Nymeria," I say as I sit beside Sansa.

"I miss Lady," Sansa says. "But it'll be alright. We'll see them again."

"I wonder why we couldn't take them along."

"The townspeople would not be happy with two wolves running around. Can you imagine their faces?"

"They would run," I say and Sansa laughs. It is so foreign to me to hear my sister laugh with me and I am speechless for a few seconds.

"What?" She says when she sees my expression. "I can laugh with my sister, can't I?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Sansa Stark?" I ask.

Sansa laughs again and I eventually succumb too. When father enters the carriage, he smiles at us both.

My happy demeanor is somewhat depressed when we enter the city gates. From where I sit, I can see the townspeople stop in their tracks and stare at our carriage. "You'd think people could stop staring," I say mostly to myself.

"We are the future wives of the Princes Arya," Sansa breathes. "People _will _stare."

My heart beat raises when the carriage stops because that means we will have to get out eventually. Suddenly, the hard seating I am in sounds more appealing.

Ftaher is the first to exit the carriage, and just before she exits, Sansa takes my hand in hers. At first I though she does so so I don't find some quick last minute escape, but then I think maybe she is nervous too, and so I don't pull my hand away.

I don't pull my hand way even when we bow to the Royal family who walks out of the royal halls to meet us. I don't pull my hand away when Prince Tommen kisses the back of my free hand. And I don't pull my hand away when Queen Cersei speaks up. "Welcome to King's Landing."

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**It's time for me to start working again on New Beginnings, so until next time xo **


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